The finals of Bellator’s first-ever light-heavyweight tournament are now set.

In a highly exciting pair of semifinal bouts, Christian M’Pumbu and Richard Hale took one step closer to a six-figure payout, though the former fighter had a far easier time doing so.

It took M’Pumbu a little more than two minutes to dispatch his opponent with a flurry of punches at Bellator 42, which took place tonight at Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla., and aired live on MTV2. Hale, on the other hand, went to the scorecards in a nail-biter.

There was no inverted triangles in store for former bodybuilder Hale, though his grappling chops likely sealed a close fight. Semifinal opponent D.J. Linderman wanted nothing more than to chase down and chop down his taller opponent with a right hand.

From the get-go, Linderman returned the favor in the second with a spinning backfist that opened up a slam opportunity. Hale popped back up, though, and the two went back to slugging it out.

Hale (17-3 MMA, 2-0 BFC) came out big with a leaping high kick in the final frame, but Linderman wanted the fight down. Instead, he ended up mounted when a double-leg attempt went awry, and spent the remainder of the fight fending off a rear naked choke. Hale was never able to finish, but gamely stayed at his opponent’s back.

In the end, judges favored Hale’s counter-striking and ground control to Linderman’s charging aggression, and two judges gave him the fight two rounds to one with one seeing the opposite for Linderman (9-2 MMA, 1-1 BFC).

Mann smothers Arocho in three-round domination

Who says Englishmen can’t wrestle?

Featherweight U.K. import and future tournament competitor Ronnie Mann had his way with Josh Arocho on the mat, and he delivered punishment all the way.

So complete was Mann’s domination on the canvas that one judge awarded him a score of 30-25. Two judges were more conservative with 30-27 tallies. But it was still nothing other than a blowout.

Mann, who made his U.S. debut this past September with a decision win at Shark Fights 13 over UFC vet Douglas Evans, took full advantage of the Unified Rules by parking Arocho on the mat and raining down elbows that opened some nasty, bleeding cuts.

Arocho tried to even the score in the second with his own takedown but found Mann’s sprawl defense more sound than he might have imagined. In fact, he ran into a brick wall and ended up flat on his back, where the pain continued. Elbow after elbow after punch smashed into Arocho’s face. Mann resembled nothing so much as a smaller “Smashing Machine.”

Despite all the blows he took, Arocho (13-10 MMA, 0-1 BFC) never gave up in the fight. He tried again for a takedown after Mann nearly decapitated him with a head kick. But Mann again sprawled and took top position, and felt no lack of confidence in trying an Americana, then an inverted triangle after getting the crucifix position.

The Brit didn’t get it and had to console himself with hammering away from top position.

When the next featherweight tourney kicks off, Mann (19-2-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) will likely be a favorite if he continues to deliver performances he did on Saturday. Of course, he’ll also likely meet opponents with stiffer résumés.

M’Pumbu scores quick semifinal win with first-round flash knockout

In the first light-heavyweight semifinal bout of the season-four tourney, M’Pumbu punched his ticket to the finals, literally, in short order.

M’Pumbu, a veteran of the M-1 Challenge circuit who’d earned his semifinal berth with a first-round TKO of Chris Davis, met opponent Tim Carpenter with the same disregard. Carpenter met a thunderous right that took his legs. A second put him on his back, and were it not for the canvas, which acted as a smelling salt in waking him up, more damage would likely have come his way. The fight’s official end was at 2:08.

At no time was that more evident than when cameras caught Carpenter uttering, “What happened?”

M’Pumbu (17-3-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) now has back-to-back wins under his belt, while Carpenter, who earned a spot in the semifinals with a decision over Daniel Gracie, (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) is no longer undefeated.

Nogueira impresses in U.S. debut

In his U.S. debut, Renovacao Fight Team’s Luis “Betao” Nogueira proved to be too much for Jerod Spoon in a special feature bout leading the Bellator 42 broadcast.

Nogueira’s aggressive standup put Spoon on his bicycle from the beginning. Flurries of punches and kicks had the Oklahoman covering up for dear life, and a few flying knees nearly took his head off.

Spoon hoped quality would triumph over quantity and waited for a brief window in which to counter. Several times he managed to crack Nogueira with a stiff right hand. Unfortunately, none of them stopped the charge.

Both men tried to put the edge firmly in their corners by taking the action to the mat. In that battle, they ran neck and neck for the first two frames. But in the final frame, Nogueira inched ahead.

Spoon was all too aware that he might be trailing on scorecards and plastered Nogueira in the final moments of the third with several power punches that might have felled other men. The Brazilian, however, was undeterred.

In the end, two judges gave Spoon (5-2-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) a round, but all three agreed that Nogueira (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) had won the bout with final scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.

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